


A Slight Mistake

by tales_at_dusk



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Drama, Gen, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Castiel, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-24 08:51:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4913059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tales_at_dusk/pseuds/tales_at_dusk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A slight mistake in casting a spell causes a tiny dimensional tear. Unfortunately it’s into purgatory</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: As a brief note I’m working on another larger spn story where I try to adhere to some semblance of writing criteria. I swear I am capable of that. This nonsense was written alongside of it to let me mess with the angel whenever I wanted and focus on just that at the expense of plot and pacing. Such sacrifices I know! I never really intended it to be a post but it got so big I thought: ‘eh, maybe someone will get a kick out of it.’ I felt that was legitimate reasoning, but I’ve been wrong before.
> 
> Probably fits S8. Not tied to any arc, but just used as the general backdrop. The Winchester’s hunt and Castiel pops in as he is prone to.

It had been a simple mistake really. Who knew a bit of silver alloy instead of solid silver would make such a difference? Usually this type of error just made the spell inert, but not this time. This time there had been an explosion…of sorts. It was hard to describe. Nothing in the dingy motel room had been damaged. Or further damaged, but still something had definitely exploded.

After a few minutes of going over words and ingredients it became clear the fault lay with the silver.

“Do you think we should try it again?” 

“I don’t know if we have time Sam, I say we go out and search the old fashion way then head them off while they are close.”

A rustle of wings made them look across the wobbly table to where Castiel had appeared. He immediately took the bowl of half charred spell ingredients from Sam. “That was you?” 

“Uh, hi Cas,” Sam said startled.

“It’s rude to grab Cas, and if you mean was it us that just wasted three days of work gathering materials for a useless spell, yeah, that was us.” Castiel fixed them with look of disapproval. “What? Oh, like you’ve never had a spell go wrong?” Dean demanded.

His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘wrong’?”

“Wrong as in do you see any werewolves marked on this map?” Dean tapped the un-marked map spread over the table.

Castiel looked in confusion at the map.

“It was supposed to be a location spell specifically for them.” Sam explained.

“Is this an angel feather?” Cas poked around in the bowl.

“Yes but apparently you also need a pure silver, not alloy silver-“Dean continued

“Is it one of mine?”

“I don’t know, probably.” Sam looked in the bowl.

“-coin. Who has that? Pirates?”

“This blood and hair?” Cas continued to prod through the goo. “Human?”

“Yeah Sam’s and mine.”

“Dean, there are plenty of ways to get a coin. I still think we should try it again.” 

“No!” Castiel looked up alarmed. 

“No? Well how do you suggest we find them?”

“I don’t know, but whatever you are hunting-”

“Werewolves, well, werewolf hybrids, we think.”

“-will need to wait. This spell has caused bigger problems for all of us. It may not have done what you intended but it still did something.”

“Like what?” Dean frowned, “I’ve never had a spell that did anything other than work or not work.” 

“It’s true, what do you mean?”

“It apparently had the power to tear a hole in dimensional matter.”

“We ripped a hole into another dimension?” Dean raised his eyebrows, “We’ll have to write this one down. Maybe we didn’t waste our time.” 

“What dimension exactly?” Sam asked carefully.

“Purgatory.”

Dean groaned. “There seem to be exactly three dimensions around here, Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. Why is it never anything awesome?” 

“Well they are the most adjacent. Currently anyway.” 

“Where was this spell when the Leviathan were around? Haven’t we already dealt with all this opening purgatory crap?”

“This,” Castiel put the bowl down on the table, “Is not a stable spell or specific to purgatory. It could have done anything, punctured any dimension, maybe it lets things in maybe it lets things out. Not to mention you seem to have invented it. Congratulations.”

“How bad is it?” Sam asked. 

“I’m not sure yet, we need to find the tear and make sure nothing can get out, and then find a way to reverse the spell to seal up the weakness.” 

“When you put it like that it sounds so simple. Do you have some insight on how to do any of that?” 

Castiel paused, “We are not that far from the bunker and there should be texts there that can help. I’ll go search for the exact location of the breach and meet you there once I’ve found it.” 

“Wait, wait, wait, you’re putting us on research?” Dean scowled. 

“I can travel faster than you can.” 

“That’s true, but what if something escaped?”

“Sam’s right, it’s risky we don’t know what this weak spot or tear can do. What if you need back up?”

“Then I’ll come get you.” He vanished from the room.

“Dammit Cas,” Dean walked away from the table in annoyance. Abandoning a hunt always put him in a bad mood but the ‘let’s split up’ method irritated him even more.

“He’ll be fine most likely.” 

“Oh sure. Just like this spell would work ‘most likely’.” 

“It was a poor translation.” Sam said. “We followed it exactly as it was written, and it’s gotta be a million to one shot that specific error would actually do something else.” 

“Well it did.” Dean muttered. He lifted his hands in frustration. “This is all just perfect.” He started shoving things into his bag.

“Cas will find the tear, and we’ll find a way to fix it.” 

“But meanwhile those werewolf things are still loose and there is nothing I can do about it because we are stuck dealing with this!” He zipped up the duffle. 

Sam tipped the spell bowl his direction with a finger, the burnt sludge slid slowly around inside it. They stared at the mesmerizing mess for a moment. Sam looked up first, “So, the bunker?” 

Dean glared at him but grabbed his coat off the chair and headed out the door.

The trip was just as bad as Sam had anticipated, long, silent and tense. As soon as they arrived he beat a hasty retreat to the library leaving Dean to angrily unpack and re-pack for this new assignment. Staying out of his way was the best way to handle it.

When he was finished and settled at one of the tables for a few minutes Sam came over with an armful of books. His brother was good at research when he wanted to be, and Sam needed him to want to be.

“Here, these, are going to give us something to start with.” He dropped them on the table.

Dean eyed the stack darkly before he resigned himself to the task and grabbed the top book. “What are we looking for?”

“I thought a basic spell reversal for something that’s been opened, or how to create a lock or seal, and it couldn’t hurt to keep in mind what we used in the original spell either.” Sam pushed a blank tablet of paper and a pen across the table. Dean exhaled and picked up the pen.

They slipped into an easy silence as they read and leafed through the dusty texts for the next several hours. It was a quiet that Dean soon felt as acutely as Sam had the quiet car ride. There was just too much left undone to be sitting here.

The day faded and Dean spun the spell bowl Sam had placed on the table. He’d just about had it with this end of the job. He wondered how Cas’s search was going. They had been at it for six hours and he’d only found one crappy piece of Latin that might work.

“Hey what about this,” Sam pushed a book across the table.

“Finally,” Dean slammed shut the book he’d been flipping through. 

“But it’s sort of good news bad news.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“The good news is I think it will re-seal the tear but the bad news is it has to be the three of us since it sounds like ‘any living parts’ must be present.”

“So? We were going to do it anyway.” Dean quickly read through the spell.

“Yeah, but this implies that because of the ingredients, we might be bound to it.”

“Crap. How exactly do you figure that we are the living parts ?”

“Well, my hair, your blood, Cas’s feather. We are the living parts that opened it so, according to this; we have to be the living parts that close it. I’m not sure if it implies anything else.” 

“I’m sure we’ll find out.” He frowned at the page. “It says this is used for sealing ‘spaces’. Is that too vague? Isn’t there anything specifically on sealing a dimension?”

“I haven’t found anything. This is going to be cobble together regardless, vague might be good? Basically we create an amulet to channel the spell,” Sam said flipping through his notes, “and when you look at the requirements compared to what we used originally it lines up nicely.” 

Dean took the pad of paper Sam held out to him. “You think a piece of salt treated copper plating set with one of the wolf teeth we used in the first spell will work as the amulet?” 

“That and the Latin spell you found used to seal – uh- what was it-?” he picked up the book, “-beasts from the depths’ away. It’s not like there is a specific reversal for this. I’m just following one that’s similar and trying to think of logical substitutions.”

“I feel like this is what got us into trouble in the first place,” Dean shook his head, “but I don’t have any other ideas.” He exhaled. “Okay let’s put this together and check in with Cas to see if he’s got a location yet.”

The amulet was fashioned out of an old strip of copper coated with salt and set with wolf’s tooth which dean insisted they take the time to solder on properly. “I’m not having it fall apart just because we couldn’t bother.” He handed it to Sam when he was finished. While Dean called for Castiel to book it to the bunker, Sam turned it over in his hand; it wasn’t bad work.

“You’ve found something?” Castiel appeared. 

“Yeah, we think away to seal the tear back up. Or at least it’s worth a shot.” Sam pushed the book and the newly created amulet across the table to him.

“Any luck finding its whereabouts?” Dean asked as Castiel picked up the amulet. 

“Some, but the spot keeps shifting along a fault I believe the spell created, however,” he reached into the bowl of semi dried out spell on the table. “I believe we can track it with this.” 

“What the other tooth from the spell? How will that help?”

Castiel looked thoughtful at the text the amulet had been lying on, “It has some location powers in it, no doubt acquired from your original intention. It will react when near the tear.”

“React how?”

“Did you expect the map to burn?”

“Yeah.” 

“I suspect it will darken.” He put the amulet down and ran a finger along the line of Latin they had marked for the spell. “I like this.”

“You think it will work? “Sam asked.

“It’s as good idea as any.” 

“That is not an answer.” Dean said pointedly.

“This is not a spell that has been cast before, but this fits well.”

“Okay so you know the general location of the tear based on the ‘fault’ we created? Should we get going?”

“The fault is extensive and faceted. Let me get close and I’ll call you, that way I can follow any movement before you arrive.” 

“Cas- ” Dean was left speaking to empty space. 

“I’m not waiting up for that call.” Sam stretched. “If he wants to chase it down himself Dean, let him. We’ve been working for hours now.” 

“You’d just let him do that? How is that in anyway a good idea?”

“First, he’s an angel. Second, he’s Cas. Third, he didn’t give us much of a choice, and forth, we need the sleep.” Sam patted Dean on the shoulder as he left the room. 

Dean stood there for a moment. “Stupid.” He muttered before also turning in for the night.

Cas called in the early pre-dawn hours. Dean’s phone buzzed on his nightstand. “Cas?” 

“Dean. I have a location,”

“Great, come get us.” Dean ran a hand over his face.

“I can’t. It’s on the move, but I think I understand the path. Head north towards Rapid City South Dakota.”

“On our way.” Dean was already halfway down the hall. He banged on Sam’s door as he passed. “Let’s go!” he shouted over his shoulder. He grabbed the bags he’d left by the foot of the staircase.

Sam appeared a moment later blinking. “Where’s Cas?” 

“Following the tear. He said to head north. Rapid City.”

“South Dakota? That’s eight hours away.” 

“He’s keeping tabs on it until we get there.” He shouldered his bag. “Grab the rest of that would you? We need to head out.” 

Sam picked up the bag and followed him through the door.

They drove straight through without stopping but did not hear again from Castiel. Dean even had Sam text him once. He got nothing back. Freakin’ angels.

They booked a motel on the outskirts once they reached the city. It was good practice in case anyone started asking questions. “So, what, he calls us up here and we’re just supposed to wait around on him?” Dean griped as they walked through town. Sam picked up the local paper from a vending newsstand. “Hey look at this, the top story is an earthquake that happened yesterday.” 

“Huh, you think that was us?”

“The time matches up and this isn’t a high risk area so maybe?”

“Much damage?”

“Minor property, and a cattle stampede.” 

“Nice.”

They walked around for the rest of the afternoon keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary and periodically attempting to contact Castiel.

“Come on let’s head back to the motel.” Sam said when Castiel failed to answer his phone yet again.

“Yeah, I’ll drop you off then look around for somewhere to get dinner.” Dean opened the car door.

“Don’t go crazy if you go to a bar, just in case Cas calls.” 

Dean rolled his eyes but did not make any promises.

 

The sun was setting by the time Dean was on his way back from picking up dinner. Stopping at a bar, even if it had just been to spite Sam, hadn’t improved his mood much. 

“Dean,” Castiel was suddenly in the passenger seat.

“Jesus Cas,” he gritted out.

“Turn here.” 

“What? Why? Is this it? Is this where it pierced through?”

“In a manner of speaking,”

“Don’t give me that crap. Did you or did you not find it? Also, are you allergic to answering a phone?”

“I’m not giving you ‘crap’. I did find it, but then it moved. I don’t see how it would possible to be allergic to an act. Phobic maybe.” He considered.

“You- never mind.”

“The whole thing is unstable, I’m doing my best to keep up with it.” He stared at the dark tooth in his hand.

“How do you even read that?”

“It’s difficult but I have it worked out now.”

“So let’s go get Sam and the amulet.” 

“Not yet. Something was trying to break through, just before it shifted, I could hear it scratching.”

“What kind of something?”

“I’m not sure they have a name. Or if they do I don’t know it. Red-eyed, long crossed snouts. Teeth.” 

Dean tensed, “Yeah I remember those. Specifically the teeth.” 

“I think maybe they are similar enough to the werewolf things you were attempting to locate with the spell that the weak spot it created may be calling them.”

“We should get Sam.”

“There’s no time, if they are loose we need to go after them and destroy them. Now.” He leveled a stare at him. “We have fought them before and this needs to be done quickly.”

Dean stared back for a moment, than turned back to the road. “Dammit.”

“Stop here.”

Dean pulled over on a shoulder and Castiel headed off immediately into a field of tall grass.

“Cas, wait!” Dean said pulling an ax from the trunk. “Unbelievable,” he muttered slamming it closed.“Any sign of them?” he asked when he caught up to where Castiel had knelt.

“Yes,” he said pulling aside some brush to reveal a disturbing paw-foot print. “Just one for now.” He stood up and scanned the area. “This way.”

They walked through the field following Castiel’s sense.

“I thought you said these things weren’t far.” Dean glanced over his shoulder squinting through the growing darkness. The sun vanished below the horizon. He shivered. Déjà vu. 

“They aren’t.” Castiel’s pace slowed. Dean turned so he was able to watch the direction they had come from. This scenario felt terribly familiar. “Do you feel that?” Castiel asked quietly.

Dean wished he hadn’t. A sickening chill and something else made the hair on his neck prickle. He nodded. Castiel stopped. His silver blade appeared in his hand. 

An unearthly growl shook the ground, but nothing followed. The wind blew softly. They waited, still as stone. Dean glanced over at Castiel, who looked like he was calmly waiting for a bus, but Dean knew better now a days. This was the angel watching with more than his human form.

A pair of red eyes flashed through the tall grass.

Castiel had his blade ready. Dean raised the ax. The eyes vanished and Castiel began to run with Dean just behind. 

Faster, and faster they ran through the tall weeds, bright silver under the moon. The fiery sunset was extinguished now by the dark horizon.

Castiel halted so suddenly that Dean nearly crashed into him. He turned a circle on the spot taking it all in, trying to see what the angel saw. His eyes didn’t fail him for long. The enormous creature rose out of the grass. It looked a thousand times worse surrounded by this dimension. A jarring juxtaposition that did not in away belong. Dean raised his ax. 

It lunged. 

Dean struck it across the throat. The cry shook the ground and it crashed down towards him. A bright light flashed from behind him. Hot. It burned across his shoulder. When Dean opened his eyes the moon shone through the quietly waving grass, a shallow pit smoldered at his feet. He turned in time to see Castiel lower his hand. 

What happened next was a blur. 

The great spined back of a second creature rose behind Castiel, the scream that exploded from those elongated gnashing, twisted jaws, shook the air. Castiel turned a fraction of a second too late or perhaps the creature a fraction of a second faster knocking him backward with a swipe of its’ wide paw. Dean saw the blade slip from his hand. He threw his ax and it imbedded in the thick hide. The creature stumbled. Castiel raised his hand and a light, not quite as bright as before, hit the beast. It roared, and angled its huge open jaw downward snapping viciously. Castiel scrambled out from under the attack but was still mostly unarmed. The beast noticed and pulled back its head to strike. It lunged downward but was met by the angel blade Dean jabbed upward into its skull as he stepped in front of Castiel.

It fell dead on its side. He waited. Every nerve alive, every noise amplified. Slowly the world returned to a more recognizable state. The moon dimmed, the breeze quieted and Dean looked over his shoulder. 

Castiel looked up at him from where he half lay on the ground.

“Just like old times.” Dean smiled wryly. 

Castiel tried to say something but coughed instead. He was holding his side.

“Cas?” Dean asked.

Castiel slowly lifted his hand away from where he awkwardly held it against himself. A disturbing surge of blood ran down his leg, and even worse, blue light shone brightly from the gash.

Dean cursed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Just keep the pressure on it," Dean ordered. Cas was bleeding all over the passenger seat looking exceptionally pale. “Can’t you just heal it?”

“No, this is an unfortunate injury. I need the amulet.”

“We’ll be there in just a minute.” He slid his phone from his pocket.

“Dean?” Sam answered.

“We have a problem,” He navigated around a pothole.

“What’s going on?”

“Purgatory monsters. Two scratch their way through the tear.”

“How close are you?”

“They are taken care of for now, but one got Cas,”

“Cas showed up? What do you mean ‘got him’?”

“Got him as in there’s a giant, gaping, hole in his side.”

“Can’t he just – you know - heal himself?”

“It doesn’t look like it. We can discuss it later, just have the room ready, it’s messy.” He ended the call and looked over at Cas who was sliding slowly to one side, eyes half closed.

"Talk to me, tell me what we do with that amulet once we get to Sam." Dean said poking his shoulder as his head bobbed limply.

"Holy water, human blood, salt. Dip it, place it on the wound, put my hand over it." He grunted, "I can use my grace as the catalyst."

"Then you've gotta stay conscious." Dean's eyes flicked from Cas to the road and back. "Hey, hey!" he clicked his fingers.

Castiel jerked away from his hand, "Conscious is not a problem Dean," he snapped, opening his eyes. He winced and pressed down on his side harder.

"So we mix this up and then spread it on the amulet put it on the wound where? It's a pretty big gash." He tried to keep him talking; he could see blue light shining from under Castiel’s hand.

"Anywhere," he gasped as Dean hit a bump.

"Sorry, Sorry! This road’s a mess. Then you'll be able to heal?"

"Yes, the worst of it," he said through clenched teeth. "I'll do as much as I can; the longer I can go the better."

"What does that mean?"

"It means hurry! My grace is draining and I need to stop it, if I fix enough the rest will heal on its own."

"Okay, alright, but this is why when I say we stop and get Sam you listen to me and we stop and get Sam!” Dean looked over as Castiel tried to keep himself upright.

“They couldn’t be allowed to escape.”

“We would have got them, and you don’t get to argue about it when you’ve just been gutted because of a crap decision.”

Dean swung into the motel’s parking lot a few minutes later; glad to see Sam was waiting outside for them. They moved Castiel quickly into the room and put him down where Sam had spread the shower curtain over the small tiled area around the kitchenette.

Sam did a cursory assessment of the injury while tucking a rolled up towel under Castiel’s head. It was bad.

“Where’s the amulet?” Dean asked as he poured salt and holy water into the empty ice bucket.

"In my bag. What are you doing?"

"Just-" Dean cut his hand and squeezed, "-give me the damn thing, Cas said this would work."  
Sam quickly fished it out and handed him. Dean dipped it in the bowl. "Open his shirt." Sam knelt and gentle pulled Castiel's hands away from his side; blood flowed feely from the wound. Dean pressed the amulet onto the torn flesh and put Castiel's hand over it. Nothing happened immediately. He looked up at Castiel whose attention seemed far away. “Anytime Cas,” Dean lightly tapped his shoulder.

Blearily, Castiel looked down at the wound. Sam propped him up when he struggled to lean forward a bit. With his face pinched in concentration, a soft light appeared from under his palm. The amulet lit up with a crackle and a puff of smoke.

They watch as the wound grew shallow and the bleeding slow. When the light from his palm flickered out the area was better but far from wholly closed.

"Keep going, you can’t be finished yet.” Sam encouraged.

"I can’t do more. I’m drained." he shuddered and slumped back.

"Did it at least work enough to get by?” Dean asked.

"Yes," Castiel bit back a groan. “I’ll have a much better chance of recovery now.”

“Better chance?”

“Not enough grace, but it will rebuild now though.”

"Do we sew the rest of it up?" Sam interrupted.

"Yeah, sounds like we’d better." Dean pulled back Castiel's hand and took the amulet. The wound was still there, but no longer so gaping, it was half sealed and only trickling blood. Sam opened the first aid box.

“I don’t know if you need this but better safe than sorry,” Dean started to flush the wound. Castiel involuntarily jerked when the rubbing alcohol was applied. Dean looked at him in surprise. He was still very pale and his teeth were almost chattering. “You felt that.” He lightly touched his forehead. Clammy. “Oh right. I suppose you are ‘mostly human’ right now aren’t you?”

Castiel nodded.

Dean sighed.

"Could be shock," Sam looked up from threading his needle. “Put something under his knees, here," He passed Dean a pillow and loosened Cas's collar and tie even further.

"Keep your head back." Dean pressed him back down when he tried to curl up.

"The room. It’s moving," Castiel told him.

Dean noticed he was clutching the shower curtain beneath him. "No, you’re just dizzy." he covered his arms and his uninjured side with a blanket from the stack of things Sam had put on the counter.

Castiel gasped sharply when Sam’s needle pulled the first bit of wound together.

Sam paused, "Try to force yourself to relax a little. I know, it's pretty bad, there's a lot, but it’s going to keep bleeding if I don’t close it. Let me know when you are ready.”

Castiel drew a breath and nodded, his face controlled.

Sam continued. Dean held the flesh together when needed. After about fifteen minutes they reached a difficult section of almost shredded skin and Sam glanced over to be sure that Cas, who had been so quiet he just assumed he'd passed out, was still out. He either hadn't or wasn’t anymore. Instead, Castiel stared up at the ceiling, tight jawed with a grayish complexion. "Uh Dean,"

Dean looked up, “Cas you’ve got to say something when you need a break.” He turned to Sam. “Do we have any pain meds?"

"All that's left in there is your whiskey, I checked."

"Well we are going to need some later." Dean grabbed the bottle, and propped Cas up a little. "Here," he held it up to his mouth. "I've no idea if this will do anything for you but, partial human right? It might take the edge off."

"Is that a good ideal if he's out of grace?" Sam worried. “He’s in shock Dean,"

"Do I look like I have any idea? He’s not completely human." He set the bottle down. He watched him shutter for a moment. Dean peered over at what they had left to do, "Christ Sammy, you think we can do it fast?"

"Fast-ish? At least he's not bleeding out."

They in order to give Castiel time to rest they mapped out what needed to be done. It wasn’t going to be over quickly.

Dean checked the time and turned back to Castiel whose color had improved. It was always weird to see him react like a human.

"Do you feel any better? The whiskey help?"

"Some." Castiel gritted out.

"If I give you the rest of this will it hurt you?" He held up the bottle.

"I doubt it."

“Let’s do it then.” Dean helped him tipped the bottle back so he could finish what was left.

Sam shifted a large flap of torn flesh and Cas nearly arched off the floor. Sam jerked his hand back.

"Damn it Cas," Dean said resting his hands on his shoulders, "Can't you just pass out until this is done?"

Castiel shuddered. "Maybe not human enough,"

“Too human but also not human enough. Ugh, Dean you have to go get him some pain killers," Sam said. "I can't sew him like this."

Dean looked torn.

"I know," Sam said, "But you have too."

"Will you heal on your own once your grace comes back? How long before you recharge?" Dean demanded.

Castiel looked up at him like he didn't understand the question. He was losing color again and taking shallow ragged breaths.

"Dean he doesn't know. We do know he's vulnerable like this despite what he says. We have to put him out for this so the shock doesn't take over. Sure, it might take longer with him than a human but I think it could kill him."

“Doubtful,” Castiel rasped.

“You be quiet.” Dean pointed at him and grabbed his coat.

"Hurry!" Sam called after him. Then turned back to Cas. Carefully he lifted the blanket Dean had put over him and eased him out of his over coat then dress coat.

"S-Sam.” Castiel's teeth chattered as Sam striped off his tie and ruined shirt next.

"Shh." he tossed the belt on the floor and moved on to his shoes. Anything restrictive should be removed he knew.

"How do I make myself sleep?" he asked roughly as Sam covered him back up with the blanket. “H-how do humans?”

"It’s usually not hard, but the whiskey should help. Anyway, it's all we've got until Dean gets back." Sam said. He watched him for a moment "Is the pain numbing at all?" he brushed Castiel's hair off his clammy forehead. Castiel leaned into the touch, which caught Sam off guard. “You scared Cas?” he asked. It wasn’t an accusation.

“It’s hard to b-breath.” He rasped and started to cough.

"Okay, okay, just inhale slowly for as long as you can, then exhale the same way. Nice and slow." Sam directed feeling his chest. “I wonder if you don’t have some busted ribs too. Not much we can do about that.”

“Sam, I think...I-I'm still injured in true form as well," he took a short, rough, breath then coughed again. “I can’t make this form obey me like I should be able to.”

"The amulet didn't work?" Sam said alarmed.

"It," his chest hiccupped while he attempted to gain mastery over his breathing, "It did, mostly, but not completely, the situation is not ideal, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, but you said you can survive it?"

Castiel nodded, "Yes, but it's not...impossible I won't."

"So in other words it's serious." Sam said. "We can help with your vessel, but I don't know anything about your angel self."

"I'm grateful for that. I can’t leave this form, and if it dies I will be more at risk as I cannot return to heaven."

"All right, we'll take care of it."

"I'm sorry." He shuttered.

"You don't have to be sorry." Sam pulled the spare blanket from the nightstand and draped it over his legs. "You've healed us before, granted our way is more uncomfortable."

"I'm grateful." He his breath started coming in shallow bursts.

"No, don't do that. Slow, even breaths, in and out, try to match me."

Castiel's brow pinched together as he attempted to mimic Sam, but the coughing returned. He looked at Sam with an expression of pain and panic.

"In and out." Sam gentle cupped the side of Castiel's head and moved his thumb rhythmically over his temple. He relaxed under the touch and his labored breathing evened out a little.

"This is helpful Sam," Castiel muttered.

"Yeah? Good. It might help you drop off, if you keep relaxed.”

They stayed as they were, Castiel focused somewhere on the ceiling while Sam kept him as calm as he could. The mess of blood and supplies spread out on the shower curtain beneath Cas looked like a chaotic murder scene, or a slaughterhouse. He could feel Castiel's pulse from how he'd laid his hand. It wasn’t strengthening as time passed.

It was a relief to hear Dean pull up fast and slammed the car door behind him.

He was through the door a moment later. "How is he?" He looked more worried than he sounded.

Sam shook his head; "He’ll be better once we finish. You got the stuff?"

"Needle and pill kind. Which?"

"Needle." Sam said softly. Dean noticed that Sam didn't move from where he appeared to be cradling the side of Castiel's head who looked out of it, but not unconscious.

"How much?"

"Regular dose."

"Regular? As in human?"

Sam nodded, "That's what I would risk at the moment." He turned Castiel's head as Dean got the medication ready. "Hey Cas, we are going to try and finish."

"Yes."

"We'll go as fast as we can."

"Thank you."

Dean gave him the medication, and Sam threaded a couple needles.

Dean checked his watch after a few minutes after administering the drug. "Can you tell if it’s working yet? Do you feel any different?"

Castiel blinked; there was definitely a little glassiness in his gaze now. "I do feel...dulled.” He nearly slurred.

"That’s what we are going for.”

Sam looked grim.

"What?" Dean asked.

"A human dose Dean."

"I used enough to knock a 250 pound man on his ass, and he's only 'kinda' out of it with that and like half a bottle of whiskey." Dean defended. "He's still got fight in him. Probably anyone else would be dead."

"I know. You get antibiotics?" Sam suddenly realized they might need when he saw Dean was washing his hands.

"Not my first medical supplies run Sam, but yeah; the super strong stuff too."

"Good."

It took the better part of an hour to close everything and by the end they were both sore and cramping from awkwardly leaning over the injury. Castiel had not made a sound during the entire ordeal.

"That should hold you.” Dean tipped his head side to side in a stretch.

Castiel's eyes slid over his direction and he nodded barely, a faint tremble running through him while Sam taped a bandage over his side.

"Were going to move you off the floor and get rid of this curtain. Gonna sit you up slowly tell me if it hurts."

They got him up and leaned against the counter. "Good?"

"Hm, the room is very," he held out a hand and tilted in back and forth.

"Yeah you're still dizzy. Pain's okay though?"

"Manageable." he mumbled.

Sam cleaned off his back with a few swipes of a damp cloth, "This is kind of gross to make him sleep in. You got spare pants?" He squeezed a bit of the waistband and blood swelled to the surface of the saturated material.

Dean sighed, "Yeah,”

Cas flagged a little during that task, even when prompted to: 'put your foot in the hole,' and 'no, lift your other arm,' Eventually, his knees buckled and he slipped backward but they caught him before his head could hit the edge of the sink.

"Just hold on to him a minute." Dean said yanking up the track pants, and crossed the room to flip down the blankets on one of the beds. They walked him over and shoved a couple pillows back under his knees.

Immediate tasks finished they drew back wearily to take in their efforts. Cas lay on the mattress breathing like a trapped animal, but there was nothing else to be done.

"I'm going to wash up," Sam said tiredly.

Dean nodded, "I'll get rid of the mess.”

The shower kicked on a few minutes later. Dean collected the bloody items that would need to be disposed of.

"Sam," Castiel muttered.

"He's in the bathroom. What do you want Cas?" Dean glanced over from where he was stuffing the shower curtain in a dark trash bag.

"Sleep."

"Good. So shut up and get to it."

"Sam was explaining it..."

"What, sleep?"

Cas nodded.

Dean scrubbed his cheek with forearm because his hands were dirty. "There is nothing really to explain. Just close your eyes. Simple." He tied the bag closed. He reached for the bleach to mop the tile floor. Castiel was silent. Dean hoped he would drift off, but when he looked over Cas was plucking at the sleeves of the white undershirt he wore.

"Quit fidgeting already."

Cas looked at him glassily. "I..." he didn't finish his thought.

Sam came out of the bathroom. "Water was still hot,” he said.

"Thanks. Take this out, then we'll just have laundry and no one will be the wiser about our little home surgery." Dean handed him the trash and went to take his own shower. "He says he wants to sleep but he doesn't seem to be able to kick it into gear." Dean looked over at Castiel with annoyed anxiety before shutting the bathroom door.

Sam took out the bags Dean had handed him. It was a cool night, or rather very early morning, but the fresh air felt good and he walked slowly back to the room. The smell of blood still lingered in the air inside. He went over to Cas who was looking at nothing in particular as far as he could tell, but was shivering now. Sam pulled out the spare blanket from the closet shelf. He spread it over Castiel's chest and tucked an extra pillow behind his head before sitting down on the mattress beside him. He took out the drugs Dean had stolen. Castiel eyed the new blanket across his upper half.

"Don't tell Dean, I'm only giving you more because you really, really need to rest." Sam told him. Cas blinked, and just barely managed the smallest of head tilts.

Sam grinned. "Ah, you are home." Castiel watched him administer the medication with interest. "Now you shouldn't have to try so hard, but you do have to try and relax. I can tell you’re on edge.”

"The creatures,"

"Are dead."

"There were others coming. They will be tracking us now, hunting us."

Sam snorted. “Fine, let them try. That will actually make our job easier.”

Castiel looked doubtful. “I can't tell if you understand, it's hard to see you.”

“I do Cas, and if they get through we will handle it. Running toward us or away. We’ll handle it.” Sam considered the room thoughtfully. "If I put up a couple sigils," he offered, “ to make the room safe, would that help?"

"That's less worrisome, yes." his voice was a rough whisper.

"No problem, you watch. I'll use salt too. Nothing is getting in tonight, okay?”

He was out before Sam was finished.

"Uhgg I need food, I’m starving..." Dean came back into the room to see Sam at work. "What is it? Something out there?"

Sam shook his head. "It's for Cas. Look." he nodded toward the bed where Castiel was asleep. "I asked him if securing the room would let him, you know, rest easier."

"Huh." Dean observed. "Well that's not entirely stupid, but still, isn’t that kinda like turning on a night light for a being like him." he snorted.

"Yeah well, he's probably not completely rational at the moment, but also he says these things are going to come after us. Did you ever actually get us dinner?"

"I did, I can go see if it survived the car ride in a second, but what do you mean ‘come after us? Did he say why?”

"Because they know we are the only ones that can close the tear."

“Makes sense,” Dean looked around the room until he spotted Castiel’s trench coat half in half out of the sink with his other clothing. He went over and pulled the tooth from pocket. It was a dingy yellowed ivory. “Doesn’t look like the tear is here anymore. He was right about it turning black.”

“We’ll have to have him show us how that thing works exactly.”

“Good luck. Cas’s explanations are usually…Cas-ish.” Dean put it back into the pocket went out to the car taking some cleaning supplies with him. He hoped there wasn’t too much of a mess, but if there were, it would be best to mop up most of it while the sun was down.

It wasn’t that bad actually. Not compared to the kitchen clean up. The worst of it came up with a little work. He would go through it in the daylight to be sure nothing would be permanently stained. When he finished he grabbed the paper sack of fast food he’d picked up earlier from the back seat. He checked the contents. It seemed to have survived the ordeal well enough.

Sam was idly flipping through television stations when he came back in.

“The burgers made it but your salad is gross now. Lucky for you I have enough to share, if you don’t mind them cold.”

“At this point I don’t care.” Sam caught the wrapped sandwich Dean tossed him.

Castiel made a small noise, they both looked over. He shifted a little, but didn’t wake up.

“You think he’ll be okay? He did say he was still injured in true-form while you were out.” Sam took a bite of his dinner. Even cold it tasted good. He wondered if any type of food wouldn’t taste wonderful right now.

“He said what?” Dean paused.

“While you went to get the meds. He said it was dangerous for him to leave his vessel because he was hurt, and that he was having a hard time regulating it without grace.”

"And you were going to mention this to me when?”

Sam shrugged, “When we had a moment to talk? Also, what is that?” Sam pointed at a long raw patch of red skin creeping up Dean’s arm.

“Oh, Cas burned me a little during the fight. It’s not bad, don't change the subject.”

“He burned you?”

“Yep. It’s fine. I cleaned it. Did he say anything else about his true form? You realize we are counting on him using his grace to heal himself, and help us seal up the tear.”

"I know."

"Did he say how bad? Is that why you looked so freaked when I came back?"

"I wasn’t freaked. Just concerned, it seemed like it was serious enough to scare him. He was He's having problems regulating his vessel while he works on healing up his angel-self. I told him we'd do our best to help with that. "

"Great Sam. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.” Dean shook his head. “Exactly what we need." He muttered.

Sam was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know why you didn’t come get me first. I could have helped.”

“You’ll have to ask Cas when he wakes up.”

Sam frowned and put his trash in the paper bag Dean had dropped on the floor. “You want the bed or the couch?” 

Dean relented. “I’ll take the couch, and Sam honest to god, I tried to come get you but the flighty bastard would have taken off without even me if I weren’t willing to go immediately. I told him he was an idiot for not listening, and he sure as hell paid for it.”

“It could have been you who had to pay for it.” Sam pointed out. He dropped down on the bed. “Or both of you.”

Dean tossed his sandwich wrapper in the trashcan. “Look, it happened, and yeah, we all know better. I don’t want to fight about it right now. Let’s just get some rest. There’s enough to deal with in the morning.”

He flipped out the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Junk food I know, but you understand.

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: So there’s the start. More? Less? Keep going? Stop immediately why have you written this?? These are all things I ask myself.


End file.
